With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Xuan overheard Stour's complaint, and grinned to himself. While they argued, he could mount his own attack.
"I'm sorry," Adan muttered. "I can't stand listening to him. Don't tell me you can."
Xuan wondered what idiot put those thoughts into his head. No hollow would come up with them on their own - no arrancar would come up with them on their own. Xuan pursed his lips and readied his whip. Then, eyes narrowed, he waited. "I can hardly see. A little warning, next time, Adan?"
That was when Xuan lashed out. He flung his whip at Stour's eyes, hoping to cut the eyelids and keep them shut. If not, he hoped to hit a little high and cut his forehead - that would bleed a lot.
"Ambition, Stour," Xuan corrected with a snarl. "Ambition sets us apart."
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
"I can," Stour said, with a shake of his head, but right as he spoke he saw movement, was Xuan attacking? How low. Stour felt nothing but joy, however. Once someone showed they were willing to attack when the opponent was most vulnerable, Stour was free to be himself in battle. Both arms immediately in front of his own face, his left arm took most of the lashing, his right taking a sting and the right side of his head taking the remaining blow. He blinked again, his eyes clearing, and his heart pounding in his chest, as he grinned. He felt the long lost rage of combat rising within him.
His left arm was sore, a gash across it, stretching from his forearm muscle to his wrist. He held it up, pointing out in the direction he thought the attack came from, flexing his fingers in front of him. "Adan, listening is second to capacity to argue. But in this situation, arguing is apparently combat," He turned to where he assumed the whip had come from, based on trajectory and landing point, aimed slightly right of it, and released the cero he had begun charging when he started talking to Adan.
With no notice it launched from his overturned palm, a flash of purple into the trees. He could only hope Xuan was distracted by his 'successful' attack.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
Xuan didn't stay in the same place for very long. Stour was still stronger than him, but Adan would be little more than a nuisance. He hadn't gotten any stronger, but Xuan had. He decided to get Adan next. Maybe he had only injured Stour, but he was busy charging an attack.
He zipped between the trees using light bursts of sonido to reduce the noise, and got to the side of Adan. Adan too was preparing an attack, his stump glowing blue.
In truth, Adan intended to take a hit and blast Xuan immediately. He was antsy, and fidgety. Xuan was stronger than the last time they fought. And, more disturbingly, Adan had no idea what Stour meant. "Na, that doesn't make any sense at all. Don'cha have to listen to argue?"
Xuan lashed his whip as Stour shot his Cero, aiming for Adan's ankle. Immobilizing him would make fighting Stour easier. But, to be safe, Xuan would have to blow off his arm. Finding the opening to do that would be difficult, but, Xuan presumed, managable. After all, if Szayel was anything to go on (and he was), Stour was not that bright.
Adan nearly loosed his cero when the whip wrapped around his ankles, but it fizzled out uselessly when Xuan dragged him across the forest floor. "Wrong way!"
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Stour's cero exploded in the trees, as he heard Adan yell. "See, Adan? You got distracted!" Stour said, not really sure who that made right in the argument. Stour suddenly had a pang of sorrow that he wasn't who he used to be. He'd have flooded the area Adan had vanished with a Spider Cero. But now, he felt bad about even thinking it. Things certainly had changed quite a lot. And here Xuan was, same attitude as ever, attacking the weaker of the two first.
"Ah, dammit, can't have you hurting Adan, Xuan! It's just not nice!" Stour yelled in the general direction of Xuan as he finally focused, his vision back, he sharpened his senses, and pulled his Hierro to his forearms and hands. He leapt to where Adan had been moments before. He sighed. "I had no idea that you were such a coward, Xuan, I mean, really. You attack Adan because we're so close in strength? A little worried about what surprises I might have for you?" He snarled, staring down a length of crumpled grass that he was positive Adan had been dragged through. He was too nervous to let loose any strong attacks in that direction, unfortunately. So he sighed, and being the nice guy he is, lazily shot a bala down the crumpled grass pathway that he hoped might lead right to Xuan's face.
"Hot or cold, Xuan?" Stour laughed at his own joke, then suddenly worried he might have hit Adan. Oh well, he'd deal with it later.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
Once Adan was close enough, Xuan kicked him over and pressed the heel of his hand to the boy's throat. That was one down, at least for now. He whispered, harshly, "Shut up. I've always hated your screechy little voice." Adan started to squrim, but stopped when Xuan sharpened his hierro around his hand. "It's too bad Szayel wants you alive. I'd prefer you dead. Less annoying that way."
Adan's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched, but before he could even start charging his own cero, Stour's bala whistled through the air and blasted Xuan right off of him. Adan hurriedly sat upright, tugging at the chain around his ankles. It loosened just enough for him to slip through, but he realized that he couldn't stand on them.
"Shoot again!" he yelled over his shoulder, as Xuan gripped the fresh burn on his face and neck. He used his Zanpakuto to prop himself up. If he was lucky, he could force himself to stand so he could enter his resurreccion. Otherwise, he feared, he wouldn't be walking any time soon.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
"So demanding!" Stour yelled, wondering if that meant his aim was good. He shot a pair of bala, slightly off at angles from the one he had just shot. Hoping maybe he would get lucky. He jogged forward towards them, not wanting to give up what was even ground by having to readjust himself once he found Xuan. "Where are we, kids?" Stour teased as he tensed his muscles. He'd have to react quickly now, he had pulled all of his defenses to create his best offense. He didn't truly want to kill Xuan, he didn't even really want to wound him horribly. Just to send him off. Scare him. Maybe even make him listen.
But he knew better. Soon, he'd be at the point of no return, and his mind was at ease with the situation, and he knew that it all came down to whether or not he was synced with his instincts. And he truly felt he was.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
"You'd be too," Adan laughed dryly, holding his own arm up at Xuan. He tried to lift his sword, but stumbled forward. He frowned. Like this, he was little more than deadweight. Xuan must have cut the tendons in his ankles. He would need a doctor.
He remembered, vaguely, the little black-haired girl who looked like Kaki wasn't a half-bad healer. If he could find Kaki, he might be able to get help from them.
"You bastard...my face...I'll do worse to yours-" Xuan screamed, reaching for his whip. Before he could reach it, the second bala struck him in the side and smacked him headfirst against the tree. Everything went black, and he fell unconscious.
"You got him, Stour," Adan called as Xuan slumped to the ground. He followed suit, sitting back down and trying to press onto his wounds. It just made it hurt more, and the blood didn't stop flowing. "Aw, geez..."
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Stour's eyebrowsed raised, apparently that had worked. He relaxed his hierro, feeling Xuan lose most of his pressure, and Adan's relax. "Adan? Can you walk?" He asked, as he approached, seeing Adan's bloodied legs. He turned his head to Xuan's body. He thought for a moment, about how easy it would be to send a message to Szayel with his lifeless corpse. He shrugged it off. He'd have a message for Szayel sooner or later, and Xuan didn't have to be part of it. Even if he did keep butting in like this.
"We should leave, Adan," Stour said, offering an arm. "He won't be out long, and I don't much feel like fighting."
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
"No," Adan answered. "I can't. Down to one good limb."
"We're not gonna kill him?" Adan asked, surprised. "He'll keep finding us, him and maybe Szayel."
In truth, Adan didn't see much point in ending Xuan's life. Szayel would find them, inevitably. The only way out was to make stronger allies, which Adan didn't really have. Just Stour and the girls, but Adan knew that might not even be enough. And he couldn't ask Kaki to fight Szayel for him - that was too much.
"I don't suppose you know how to fix torn tendons?"
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
"No, we're not going to. They can hunt us as long as they want. I can handle Xuan. Szayel... Maybe. But, it doesn't matter. He wouldn't dirty his hands chasing us here unless we become more of a problem... hopefully," Stour said, with a sigh.
"No, my ability to heal pretty much ends at wrapping wounds. Anything else pretty much escapes me. But, I can carry you. Do you have someone who can heal you? I'll take you there," he said, looking back to Xuan, another urge to blast him away hitting home. He shook his head again. "C'mon, Adan. Just tell me where to go," he added, kneeling for Adan to climb onto his back.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!